Nue Quest 8 - Pagan: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Turn back to Mamizou.
> "You wouldn't happen to know how long the blacksmith would need to fix a weapon, would you?"

>"Weyland can be quite fast, when he wants to be," says Mamizou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmm. I've heard some pretty interesting things, and I'm probably going to relay what I've learned to folks back home, but truth be told, I think I've run out of curiosities."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmm. I've heard some pretty interesting things, and I'm probably going to relay what I've learned to folks back home, but truth be told, I think I've run out of curiosities."

>"Ah, so you would like to return?" says Mamizou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "If that would be okay, and she has no particular curiosities about Gensokyo."

[Hello Purvis]

> "If that would be okay, and she has no particular curiosities about Gensokyo."

>"Let's ask," says Mamizou, as she turns to Isolde, and poses a question in her langauge. Isolde replies, and Mamizou says, "'I am, but if you're in a hurry, there's no need to keep you away from whatever it is you want to do.'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Naw, that's fine, I can stick around without a problem. I have no idea how long Weyland is going to take, so fire away."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Naw, that's fine, I can stick around without a problem. I have no idea how long Weyland is going to take, so fire away."

>Mamizou translates for you. Isolde purses her lips again, then speaks after a moment. "'Well, what's it like?' Mamizou says. "'I don't know the first thing to ask...'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmmm...well, like I said earlier, it's a place where humans and supernatural creatures coexist peacefully. Our broad-sweeping term for supernatural creature is youkai. From what I can understand, it is more or less the Gensokyo equivalent of seelie. There are many types of youkai, and large populations of the same kind have been known to gather together in villages. I myself live in the oni village. The oni are...Sir Kay compared my description of them to vikings, because they consume alcohol constantly and basically make sport of punching each other into unconsciousness. They're honest to a fault, though, and are very valuable friends. It helps that my house in their village doubles as a tavern."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmmm...well, like I said earlier, it's a place where humans and supernatural creatures coexist peacefully. Our broad-sweeping term for supernatural creature is youkai. From what I can understand, it is more or less the Gensokyo equivalent of seelie. There are many types of youkai, and large populations of the same kind have been known to gather together in villages. I myself live in the oni village. The oni are...Sir Kay compared my description of them to vikings, because they consume alcohol constantly and basically make sport of punching each other into unconsciousness. They're honest to a fault, though, and are very valuable friends. It helps that my house in their village doubles as a tavern."

>She nods, as Mamizou translates what you're saying. then answers. "She's saying," Mamizou says, "'That sounds very nice, but how do you keep your vikings from pillaging everything? Or the March-steppers?' Mmmm, March-steppers are what most people consider unseelie, but as I understand, they don't really follow anyone but themselves. They are considered dangerous by the seelie, and unquestionably deadly by humans, as they rather favor humans as meals. I don't know much more about them, save that they are marsh dwellers."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'm not sure if we have a March-stepper equivalent, but it was agreed upon a while ago that youkai in Gensokyo were not to eat humans. This is enforced both socially, as many youkai consider certain humans friends, and authoritarily, by a shrine maiden human whose job is to resolve major incidents in Gensokyo. The shrine maiden usually has help when problems arise, and she and her witch friend in particular are very good combatants. As for the oni, they have history with humans that led to them living underground and not surfacing often, if ever, so they'll mug each other, but they don't actively go pillaging due to their own standards."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm not sure if we have a March-stepper equivalent, but it was agreed upon a while ago that youkai in Gensokyo were not to eat humans. This is enforced both socially, as many youkai consider certain humans friends, and authoritarily, by a shrine maiden human whose job is to resolve major incidents in Gensokyo. The shrine maiden usually has help when problems arise, and she and her witch friend in particular are very good combatants. As for the oni, they have history with humans that led to them living underground and not surfacing often, if ever, so they'll mug each other, but they don't actively go pillaging due to their own standards."

>Mamizou translates for you, while Isolde looks between the two of you. After a moment, she says a few words. "'It sounds like a strange place,'" Mamizou says. "'Why does your court allow humans to do that kind of thing?'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Oh, we don't have any sort of ruling body like that. Japan used to, but I guess they got what was coming to them, because they're not around now. There are universally-agreed-upon combat rules, though, so we'll also never see a rise to power like the Bloody Prince. If the shrine maiden and witch tried to break those rules to grab at more meaningful power and authority, there are plenty of powerful youkai and even some other humans that, when banded together, could and would take them down hard."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oh, we don't have any sort of ruling body like that. Japan used to, but I guess they got what was coming to them, because they're not around now. There are universally-agreed-upon combat rules, though, so we'll also never see a rise to power like the Bloody Prince. If the shrine maiden and witch tried to break those rules to grab at more meaningful power and authority, there are plenty of powerful youkai and even some other humans that, when banded together, could and would take them down hard."

>Isolde looks at you flatly for a moment, frowning, then speaks. "'That doesn't make any sense,'" says Mamizou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Grin.
> "Yeah, Gensokyo has a habit of not making sense at times. The main reason I'm here is an incident that still doesn't make any sense to me. But I doubt the people of Gensokyo would take well to a ruling body, or at least one beyond the village heads that are there already."

[Hello Purvis]

> Grin.
> "Yeah, Gensokyo has a habit of not making sense at times. The main reason I'm here is an incident that still doesn't make any sense to me. But I doubt the people of Gensokyo would take well to a ruling body, or at least one beyond the village heads that are there already."

>Isolde frowns as Mamizou translates your answer, then speaks. You're pretty sure that you're starting to understand what a question sounds like in this language.
>"'Then who do your knights and lords swear fealty to?'" Mamizou says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put on a small 'dawn of realization' expression.
> "Oh. Oh! Gensokyo actually doesn't have knights or lords. Main land Japan used to, and it might still, but they aren't in our land. Well...I don't know a whole about the inner workings of tengu society, but they do have a Lord, so they may have knights as well within their own village. They don't try to exert authority beyond their own lands, though, so the rest of us don't have to deal with their system unless we visit."

[Hello Purvis]

> Put on a small 'dawn of realization' expression.
> "Oh. Oh! Gensokyo actually doesn't have knights or lords. Main land Japan used to, and it might still, but they aren't in our land. Well...I don't know a whole about the inner workings of tengu society, but they do have a Lord, so they may have knights as well within their own village. They don't try to exert authority beyond their own lands, though, so the rest of us don't have to deal with their system unless we visit."

>You explain to her via Mamizou. Isolde screws up her face for a moment, then speaks.
>"'Then how would you stop invaders?'" says Mamizou, "'Or keep humans from overstepping their bounds easily?'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The humans aren't a problem, there aren't nearly enough of them to try to take out all youkai, and most of them either respect or fear youkai too much to try anything anyway. As for invaders, the largest 'invading force' I've seen in the last decade were two nonmagical humans from the outside world showing up for unexplained reasons one day. They settled in pretty quickly and now you wouldn't be able to tell they've been here for so little time."

[Hello Purvis]

> "The humans aren't a problem, there aren't nearly enough of them to try to take out all youkai, and most of them either respect or fear youkai too much to try anything anyway. As for invaders, the largest 'invading force' I've seen in the last decade were two nonmagical humans from the outside world showing up for unexplained reasons one day. They settled in pretty quickly and now you wouldn't be able to tell they've been here for so little time."

>Mamizou translates your words, and the water sprite frowns and speaks rather quickly.
>""But that's now, what happens tomorrow when there's twice as many humans?'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Come to think of it, that's why Gensokyo exist in the first place, isn't it?

[Hello Purvis]

> Come to think of it, that's why Gensokyo exist in the first place, isn't it?

>As far as you understand it, encroaching humanity was one of the reasons it was separated. As well, it seems the outside world has left youkai behind in a sense, at least from what you've learned from Maribel and Renko. Magic certainly doesn't seem to exist there as any real force.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, that already happened in mainland Japan, in a sense. It's one of the reasons Gensokyo exists at all. From what I understand, mainland Japan is overrun with humans, humans that don't even believe youkai exist and know nothing of magic. Gensokyo was basically made for youkai; there just happen to be some humans there as well."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Gensokyo's been magically separated from the rest of the world. The outside humans can't get into it, and in fact don't even know it's there. They can't perceive it at all, much less actually get in-with, as I said before, very rare exceptions. There's certainly no danger of Gensokyo being overrun by humans, that's for sure."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, that already happened in mainland Japan, in a sense. It's one of the reasons Gensokyo exists at all. From what I understand, mainland Japan is overrun with humans, humans that don't even believe youkai exist and know nothing of magic. Gensokyo was basically made for youkai; there just happen to be some humans there as well."

>"Gensokyo's been magically separated from the rest of the world. The outside humans can't get into it, and in fact don't even know it's there. They can't perceive it at all, much less actually get in-with, as I said before, very rare exceptions. There's certainly no danger of Gensokyo being overrun by humans, that's for sure."

>From her expression as Mamizou translates this, you get the feeling that Isolde doesn't feel comforted by this logic. She speaks again, and Mamizou says, "'Haven't the gods tried to stop you?'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shrug.
> "If they have, I haven't noticed. In fact, I'm reasonably sure a couple of them entered Gensokyo from the outside world a few years ago."

[Hello Purvis]

> Shrug.
> "If they have, I haven't noticed. In fact, I'm reasonably sure a couple of them entered Gensokyo from the outside world a few years ago."

>Isolde's mouth draws into a thin line as Mamizou translates, then she says something short. "'Your home is weird,'" says Mamizou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Give another grin.
> "And I could keep going for a little while longer."

[Hello Purvis]

> Give another grin.
> "And I could keep going for a little while longer."

>Isolde's grimace returns, as Mamizou translates, and she looks toward the water for a moment before speaking. "'I don't understand much of this. It just doesn't seem like it would work at all.'"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shrug.
> "Like I said, Gensokyo has a knack for not making sense. It's worked for a long time, despite a good number of incidents over the years. And really, considering life before Gensokyo with an undeserving ruling body full of jerkoffs against life in Gensokyo with interracial peace, I'm less inclined to question it and more inclined to enjoy it for what it is."

[Hello Purvis]

> Shrug.
> "Like I said, Gensokyo has a knack for not making sense. It's worked for a long time, despite a good number of incidents over the years. And really, considering life before Gensokyo with an undeserving ruling body full of jerkoffs against life in Gensokyo with interracial peace, I'm less inclined to question it and more inclined to enjoy it for what it is."

>Isolde nods as she hears Mamizou translate. "'That's a good way to look at it, I suppose,'" the tanuki says after she speaks.

>_